Drop The Act
by chipmunkwashere
Summary: Joey Wheeler questions his ambition for becoming an actor when the movie’s lead starts to make moves on his sister…
1. Dangerous Stunt

**Preview**

Joey Wheeler questions his ambition for becoming an actor when the movie's lead starts to make moves on his sister…

* * *

Disclaimer: I don't own any parts of the Yu-Gi-Oh franchise. All copyrighted materials belong to the appropriate owners. This is a non-profitable story, written purely for entertainment. 

Author's Notes:

Key:

"Speech"

_Thoughts_

**Emphasis **(I may use italics for a different type of emphasis. Readers will be able to distinguish thought italics from emphasis italics)

**Warnings:** Language.

** Drop The Act **

.: A Tactless Tales Production :.

**Chapter 1 **

_Dangerous Stunt…_

A tall, dark man, clad in a pair of dark shades and matching tuxedo, stood suspiciously alone, guarding the main entrance of the large estate behind. The cold night hovered around him, masking his presence to the untrained eye. Unfortunately for him, the troubles he'd deal with this evening were far from green. An alerted hand dove into his inner pocket at the sudden rustling of bushes in the near distance.

"Oh shit," one man whispered irritably to his partner beside him. "He heard ya move!" The young man ducked behind the large mass of foliage. When his partner hadn't taken the same course of action immediately, he grew extremely concerned. "Whatchu think ya doing? Trying ta blow our cover? Get ya ass down here!"

"Silence," the brown-haired man answered calmly. His looming blue gaze challenged the bronzed eyes of his partner. "You fool. You **do** realise that the more you talk, the more likely he is to pinpoint our exact location, don't you? This is supposed to be a stealth mission for goodness sake."

"Then why ya still talkin'?" the accused countered. His partner, Rolven, responded with a menacing glare. For the sake of the mission, that's all he would do. Laru flicked the tips of his spiky blond hair in success. That took care of one of the problems. Now for the guard, who, at this point, most probably had his suspicions focused on this portion of the trees and bushes.

Laru pulled a 9mm pistol from the sheath strapped to his waist. The lack of daylight made it difficult to fasten the cylindrical silencer to the tip of the gun's shaft, but his experience offset that minor inconvenience. With his weapon ready in his grasp, he re-joined his partner kneeling behind the bush.

Their eyes barely glanced above the hedge's uneven surface as they observed the guard's reaction. His handgun was held steady in his hand, tinted glasses looking curiously about Rolven and Laru's hiding spot. Why the hell was he wearing glasses at this time of night anyway? Laru thought, and they were **tinted** at that. As if the night wasn't dark enough. _I feel like dropping dis gun, runnin' straight up ta him and whippin' his lame ass just for being so damn stupid!_

Still, he had to admit, the self-made bat was in no lack of intuition. Despite how thoughtless his appearance let on, his focal point was fairly accurate, gun pointing their way, itching for visual confirmation so he could send them a lethal present. His hopes however, were silenced by the golden bullet that left Laru's barrel, rustling leaves as it swept passed, soaring through the air to find its mark precisely at the centre of his temple. He dropped dead. His weapon clattered on the floor, having fallen from his cold fingers.

Cautiously, Laru grew to a stand. His line of vision waved left to right, searching for anybody that may have witnessed his handiwork. _The next **rounds** are on me if any suckas wanna join dis party._

The tainted night continued all the same. The absence of sirens settled well with his triumph. Rolven rose to his feet and nodded silently at him.

"BOOYA!" Laru broke the cool tranquillity. "Did ya see dat?" But his partner simply looked at him absently. "Not even the best friggin' assassin in dis world could fire dat well. I hope you were taking notes, there Rolven. How'd ya like my demonstration on how to be da best darn sharpshooter in the world?"

The brown hair curtaining his brow fluttered lightly in the wind as he shook his head. "I hope **you** were taking notes," he said simply.

"Me?" Laru looked puzzled. "You mean you were demonstrating some'in too?" His partner nodded. "Really? What were you demonstratin'?"

"How to SHUT UP!"

ooOOoo

The final obstacle of what started out as a stealth mission stood before him. Rolven cursed at his boss's decision to appoint Laru as his partner for this assignment. It was the first time he saw his boss miss the mark by more than a thousand miles. To him, Laru's mouth was forever the definition of verbal diarrhoea: _all that ever comes out of it is shit and it never stops running…_

The boy was simply not stealth material.

They had to endure the building's full force security to arrive in the owner's personal domain. Even though the bodies decorating the corridors weren't hard to slay, it was company policy to avoid unnecessary casualties. Somebody must've torn that page out of the contract Laru signed.

Well, at least the mission wasn't a total flop. They **were** standing in the boss's office, after all. And more importantly, that meant they had found the girl. All Rolven had to do now was follow the three steps. Step one was to slice his way past the man before him; two, to grab the girl, and three, to evacuate the building before the self-destruct sequence's countdown hit the big '0'.

Step one: Rolven fixed blue eyes on his opponent. The bald man's buttoned shirt fit tightly over his huge chest. Streams of thick veins bulged on the brawny, brown muscles hanging from the jagged tears of his shirt's shoulders. He had violently ripped off its sleeves when he learnt the intruders succeeded in bypassing all of his security measures. Long black sideburns flowed into the furry beard that hung at the bottom of his round features. Oddly, his tie was still tidily in place, nearly as red as the infuriated face he wore.

"Just … business…" His fury puffed between words. The broadsword looked small in grip of his huge fists.

"Just business," Rolven agreed in a much smoother tone. He held the hilt of his sword in one hand. His two-metre-long blade was thin, stretching across almost half of the room's width. The lengthy corporate table that usually sat at the room's centre had been kicked aside. The maroon carpet between them was clear and set for battle.

The boss charged at him with an animalistic roar, the sword above his head prepared for a vertical slash. Rolven narrowed his calculating eyes, reflected calmness in the office's dim lighting. He, too, ran forward. His blade was held out horizontally in front of him as he gave a cry of his own. His two-tailed, jet-black cloak flapped about behind him.

On the sidelines, Laru shut his eyes as the two fighters reached a collision. There was a sharp, metallic squeal. Then, the air went silent again. Bravely peeling open one eye, he found that they were both still standing, their backs a little distance away from each other as if each of them had run right through the other. Their grunts had been reduced to heavy pants. After a few long moments, the big man gave a defeated sigh and tipped to his side. Rolven stood up from his crouched position and slid his sword into the slanted sheath on his back.

"I knew you could do it!" He cheered.

Rolven folded his arms. "So did I."

Muffled cries suddenly reached their ears. They were coming from somewhere in the room. Each of them searched through the lockers lining opposite sides of the office. Their separate searches led them to the same locker; it was in the centre of the back. They looked at each other. The smiles they granted one other were of congratulations. Laru opened the locker and Rolven pulled the girl out.

Step two: she screamed loudly as Rolven ripped the sticky tape off her lips.

"YALCH! What did you have to do that for!? Did you have to pull it off so roughly! Geez, somebody pick my lips off the floor I think you tore them right off too! Why the f--"

"… Let's keep it on a little longer." Rolven slapped the tape back on.

"Good idea," Laru sweat-dropped. He agreed full-heartedly with his partner for the first time.

Once the bonds on her ankles and wrists were relieved, she ripped the silver gag off her lips even harder than Rolven had. "My lips are already burning so what's the point!?"

Rolven and his partner face-faulted in chorus. The brown-haired hero watched her in astonishment as she dumped her fiery complaints on them. Every other second, she would brush away the long auburn locks distracting her lips. Her screaming eyes were blue, but not like his. They were a gentler shade, probably serene when she wasn't this upset. Strangely, he found himself more interested in her features as the seconds went by. Her babbles had long faded out of his detection, leaving only thin cherry lips that loved to bounce. Another string of hair fell at their corner but this time Rolven beat her to the punch, and fingered it away for her, tucking it at the back of her ear.

Her mouth stopped moving. _If only that worked with Laru,_ Rolven wished. Her watery eyes shivered as they looked up at him. With her anger evaporated, her true emotion shimmered clearly in her cerulean orbs. He could hear them calling him to hold her, and so he complied. He took her frightened form in a warm embrace.

His hands rubbed gently up and down her back, soothing her pain and, at the same time, urging her to cry all the emotion out. After her heavy sobs settled, he stepped back and looked into her eyes. His thumb smeared away the drying streams trailing down her cheeks. "You're safe now."

Her mouth opened to say something, but failed at that. "Thank you." She found the words after a short silence.

Rolven smiled back. He knew this was the perfect moment. He leaned in, and she tilted her head, further confirming his ideal timing. Their lips were less than an inch away when he was abruptly tugged back by his collar.

"CUT, CUT, CUT!" A voice yelled from the sidelines. "Wheeler, what the hell was that!? That was perfect until you screwed it up! What gives?" The director rose from his seat.

Joey Wheeler crossed his arms and stuck out his lips. "Aint no way that bastard is kissin' my sister!" He pointed at 'Rolven'. "Even if this **is** a just a movie scene! Get some stunt doubles in 'ere or somethin'!"

Kaiba shook his head at the co-star. "You idiot. It won't mean anything. This is all scripted! How can you be an actor if you don't even understand the concept of acting?" The second-rate duelist/actor was getting on his nerves. He knew letting him play the role of 'Laru' in this movie would be a mistake.

"Joey, Joey baby," the director tried to calm him down. "Listen to Kaiba, the boy's got a point. Besides, this is just a kissing scene. Stunt doubles?" he snickered at the thought. "Since when has a kiss ever been a stunt?"

"Well, gettin' involved wit' dat guy is just as dangerous."

"Joey!" Serenity slapped him on the arm. "You're being difficult for nothing! Don't forget, this is Seto's movie and he--"

"_Seto?_" Her brother hissed, anger brewing in his voice. "So, you are calling him _Seto_ now?" _Why the hell is she calling him by his first name?_

"That's my name, Wheeler," Kaiba said coolly. "If you have a problem with it, I suggest you get yourself fixed. Any interests I may have in your sister fall in the boundaries of business," he added. "Something you know nothing about."

"Oh ya!?" Joey challenged, fist trembling with anger. "I can't t'ink of a comeback right now, so yeah!" Everybody face-faulted. "But I can do this!" He grabbed Serenity's wrist and proceeded to walk her offset against her will, ignoring the pleas of the director who complained about the theft of his cast.

Kaiba crossed his arms and grunted. "What an ass."

The remark stopped Joey dead in his tracks. He turned back to Kaiba, shooting a glare that would kill him if it possessed a physical form. "See! What did I tell ya, sis? Rich boy's had his eye on ya for a while a now. And I won't eva let him get near ya." He positioned himself behind Serenity, steering her forward with her shoulders. _That'll block the bastard's view._

Serenity turned to look at Kaiba, blushing lightly at his returning gaze. She turned away quickly before he could make out the growing shade on her face. _Could he really have been **looking** at me…?_

_What the?_ Kaiba thought, confused … _HEY! That **wasn't** the ass I was talking about!_

** End Of Chapter 1 **


	2. Don't Measure Up

Disclaimer: I don't own any parts of the Yu-Gi-Oh franchise. All copyrighted materials belong to the appropriate owners. This is a non-profitable story, written purely for entertainment.

Author's Notes:

Thanks to Sinclair-Clair for the review and xXRoseGoddessXx too.

** Drop The Act **

.: A Tactless Tales Production :.

**Chapter 2 **

_Don't Measure Up…_

Yugi sat crossed legged on the creamy sands. His elbows rested on his knees, giving a rigid base to the inverted 'v' posture his forearms held. At the peek of this pyramid, a bony chin rested on the bridge formed with the bottom of his palms, fingers placed vertically on the sides of his tired face. Maybe he woke up too early.

The morning sun was yet to make its appearance. The dark-blue skies of pre-dawn cast a chilly aura over the sapphire ocean that stretched as far as his eyes could see. The shore was a great way to spend a hot afternoon but an even better place to admire in the mornings, when the beach was tranquilly clear. No childish giggles to test his patience, no loud splashes to abuse the serene waters, no distractive females modelling their assets away; nothing but peace and quiet to serve his working thoughts.

He realised that he blinked. Then he blinked again. Then, again. Why was he so tired this morning? He recalled the time he went to sleep the previous night was the same as any other. Or, the time he went to bed, he should rather say.

He had practically stared at his room's clock for two hours before sleep's haze even touched his eyes. In a single blink, the space of four hours seemed to have been snapped away. The moment he stepped out of the sheets, his body cringed for more sleep, but his pact was with his mind, too stubborn to give into his subconscious. He slipped on a pair of open sandals and within a short period of time, he was sitting on the beach in his pyjamas.

So what could've troubled him this much? Something he would never had expected. Five words…

"_I think … I like him." _

Only those words, as left from her lips, could burn his heart they way they had. He didn't understand how she could feel those kinds of emotions for someone she barely knew, yet feel nothing for a year-long friend like him. Well technically, it wasn't that she felt nothing for him, just not everything he wished she would.

_Or maybe it's me… _

Maybe, it was ungrateful of him to ask for more than the friendship she shared with him. Maybe it was selfish of him to want her to adore him exclusively, and unlike any other guy she knew. It was probably foolish of him to question the brother-like love she gave to him in hopes of unearthing something even more divine. Joey was his best friend. It would only make sense for him to pay the same respect to his sister, wouldn't it?

Even if it was, that's not what he wanted. He was ready and willing to give her more. All he wanted in return was her to feel the same. And, perhaps the silliest part of it all, he neither confessed his emotion, nor asked for hers. For all he knew, and all he hoped, she was in the same position he was. Many people his age told him it was the guys that needed to take initiative in such a circumstance.

That was part of the reason he'd tell her before the day was over.

The other thing that motivated him, or more accurately frightened him into making the decision, was her recent confession regarding on of her fellow actors. And it just **had** to be Kaiba.

His fingers curled hotly into the sand. Of all the clashes he had with the young, successful tycoon, this was the most personal. He wouldn't lose, no matter what.

A pair of pale feet arrived beside his semi-buried right hand. The white dress flowed to the brink of her ankles, appearing noticeably white in the morning hue. She lowered her bottom onto the smooth beach. Chirpy cerulean eyes gave him a smile. "Good morning, Yugi!"

"Hi--" he sorted his dry voice before trying again. "Hi, Serenity. You seem happy this morning." _And beautiful_ - but that complement wasn't confined to only this morning.

"Yeah, I sort of am," she giggled her adorable giggle.

As always, it lit a smile on his face. "Any particularly reason why? A good dream maybe?" _About me, please let it be about me! _

"Well," she curled auburn locks with a finger. "It's nothing really. I'm just looking forward to getting back to work on the movie!"

"Oh that…"

"Yeah that," she chimed joyfully, but her friend's lack of enthusiasm calmed her mood a little. Casting his eyes down wasn't the reaction she'd anticipated. "You okay?"

How could he be? He had an uncomfortable suspicion it wasn't the filming process that was responsible for her vibrant attitude. It was because _he_ was going to be on-set. He just knew it. "It's Kaiba isn't it?"

She felt a blush emerging on her cheeks and quickly re-directed the conversation. "You look tired." The bags under his eyes concerned her. "You could do with a few more hours of sleep."

_And you could do with better taste in men._ "What is it about him?" He ignored her worry about his lack of sleep. "You think he's … cute?"

She never really looked at him that way but now that he suggested it, he did have an attractive appeal about his appearance. But that would never be the only reason she'd admire anyone. "Come on, Yugi. You think all I care about is looks?"

_No, if you think he's cute then you care about anything **but** looks._ He realised he should probably be the last person to comment on how attractive a guy is, but he couldn't help but bring Kaiba down in every way he could. In a pathetic way, it made him feel better. "Then, is it about the money?"

"Yugi!" She rolled her eyes. "You really think I'm that shallow?"

"Of course not," he clarified immediately. He didn't want to think anything negative of her. But he couldn't see why she would like a guy like _that_ over a guy like him. Oh wait… "I know what it is … it's because he's tall, isn't it?"

She almost giggled at that before considering Yugi may have been being sincere.

"Don't I measure up to him?"

She couldn't prevent the laughter from breaking free that time. Why was he comparing himself to Kaiba anyway?

"You think I'm short!" He accused her playfully. He came to terms with his height ages ago. None of those 'short' jokes offended him any more. In fact, he could call himself 'vertically challenged' in front of a crowd of people and not feel ashamed or embarrassed in anyway.

"Maybe I do…" she sang suspiciously. "Not like there's anything your little legs can do about it."

He spotted the challenge straight away. She quickly jumped to her feet and dashed off, knowing he would give chase. He yelled out for to 'come back here' as he followed her about the open beach, around the wooden poles of the lifeguard's high seat, and along the cool coastline. He tackled to her to ground and attacked her with a frenzy of tickles before letting her giggles settle to a smile.

Her eyes never looked so happy under his gaze. The azure glint complemented the subtle waves washing over the locks of her grounded hair, and their corners were moist from the tears of laughter that had built up within.

There was no better time then now, he thought. "Serenity, I lo--"

"Yugi," she interrupted his whisper. She probably hadn't heard it, being as quiet as it was. "You're such a good friend to me. I hope that never changes."

_Friend … never changes … _he felt his heart wail. She was only trying to be good to him, but why did he feel so hurt? He lifted himself from the pinning position he held over her. "Yeah, me too, Serenity…"

"Well," she said, pulling herself to her feet. "I'm going to café for breakfast. Want to come along?"

For a moment, she didn't think Yugi was going to answer. "… No. You're right. I need to get more sleep anyway. I'll see when you when you get back." He smiled falsely, yet convincingly enough for her to return one with no doubts.

"Okay, sleepy head. I'll see you in the morning," she teased.

** End of Chapter 2 **


	3. Decisive Duel

Disclaimer: I don't own any parts of the Yu-Gi-Oh franchise. All copyrighted materials belong to the appropriate owners. This is a non-profitable story, written purely for entertainment.

Author's Note: I'm back! Sorry for the prolong …

** Drop The Act **

.: A Tactless Tales Production :.

**Chapter 3**

_Decisive Duel…_

Joey took the moment to admire his spouse as she marvelled at the shine of diamond accessories being displayed behind the jewellery shop's window. They were beautiful and so was she. He hoped that one day he could earn the means to unite her with her precious stones. He knew that would make Tea really happy.

He held her wrist in one hand and lightly tugged to signal that they should be moving on. Dominoza was a huge mall. It would be impractical to spend the entire morning window shopping at one store. Besides, they had been standing there for almost ten minutes! The security guard at the corner of his eye was staring at them suspiciously.

"Wait, one more second," she contended. Maybe if she stayed glued there long enough, Joey would realise how much she **needed** those diamonds and then he would pull out his chequebook!

Instead, the blond-haired teen glanced at his wristwatch. "Alright," he submitted reluctantly. "I'm giving you one more minute but then we're leaving."

She sighed. She knew he had the money so why wasn't he spending it on her? To her knowledge, the actors got paid way before the movie was actually released, or completed for that matter. _Hm, maybe he's waiting for a special occasion._ Yeah, that must've been it! Joey was so sweet when it came to birthdays and holidays. She retreated from the window and held his hand in hers. "Okay, let's go."

He returned her smile with his own. Tea was clad in a black sleeveless shirt and a low, red skirt. He liked her just the way she was. She didn't need those diamonds to make her look better. But if it helped her feel better about herself, he just might have to take up the new investment.

The bulging man standing guard a close distance from the jewellery parlour tightened the grip on his baton as he eyed the young couple walking away.

"Why is that guy looking at us like that?" Tea asked her boyfriend. "Do you know him or something?"

Joey didn't know him. That was for sure. Now that Tea suggested it however, his gaze did seem to linger more on him than it did on her. The guard began to approach the couple. Seeing this, Joey's hand subconsciously tightened its grip on his partner's in a protective manner. Neither he, nor Tea, did anything wrong so there shouldn't have been anything to worry about. It couldn't hurt to be too careful though.

"Can I help ya!?" He employed a little menace in his voice, hoping to threaten the man who was not only taller than him but three times as muscular too. The guard pulled out a notebook and a pen. Joey chuckled. "What, are you gonna write me a ticket now?"

The towering figure pulled down his shades, depositing them in his chest pocket. First his eyes were serious. Then they squinted for better focus before finally widening at the realisation of who he was staring dead in the eye. "Oh. My. God. It **is** Joey Wheel--"

Joey covered the guard's mouth immediately, muffling the somewhat feminine voice that didn't suit his appearance. "Yeah, it's me alright!" He must've recognized the Duellist from a broadcast of one of the tournaments he participated in. "Could ya pipe down a bit though? I'm tryin' ta have a good time wit' my girl over here!" And that meant he didn't need the entire mall's population knowing his celebrity status.

The jealous fan eyed Tea from head to toe, making her feel rather uncomfortable. She didn't like the look he was giving her one bit. "Ugh, I've heard of fangirls before but this is ridiculous."

"Oh no she didn't!" He shrieked. Joey looked around nervously, praying to Ra that an embarrassing scene wouldn't erupt right there and then. "I'll tell you what's ridiculous. First of all, doll, you're wearing --"

"What do you want?" Joey interrupted sharply. The brunette walked away from the situation, trusting her boyfriend would know how to handle it.

The guard sneered at her then handed Joey the pen and notebook he extracted earlier. Unfortunately for Joey, an autograph wouldn't be all he wanted. The broad man threatened to yell out the famous Duellist's name if he didn't place a kiss on his cheek. Cornered, Joey made it extremely brief and as hidden from public view as possible. After the distasteful ordeal, he rushed back to his annoyed date's side, putting an arm around her waist.

"I can't believe you did that."

"Not like I had a choice," Joey explained. He didn't want the morning to be spoiled for them.

"Joey. Wheeler." A voice startled them from behind.

Tea rolled her eyes. The voice was all too familiar. She and Joey whipped around to face the cause of interruption.

_HIM?_ Joey wore a look of shock on his face. _I thought I got a restrainin' order on that bastard!_ And if his illegal appearance wasn't bad enough, Tristan's blurting out of his name generated the response from nearby shoppers that Joey had feared. A small crowd began to grow around them. Blinding camera flashes shot at his eyes and loud whispers amongst the mass annoyed him beyond belief. He, Tristan and Tea had become the centre of attention. This was the **last** thing he wanted on this otherwise perfect morning.

"What's the matter?" Tristan taunted. "Don't you like your name anymore?" He cringed in anger at the sight of Joey wrapping his filthy arm over his girl's shoulder.

"Go away, Tristan. She's wit' me now!" He grinned triumphantly. "And the court said you aren't allowed to step within --"

Tristan tossed Joey a Duel Disk, forcing him to catch it off-guard. He activated his own Duel Disk. "Let's settle this out of court. I know what I did was stupid but a restraining order? That was too much, man. If I win, you drop it, and if you win, I'll leave you and Tea alone forever."

Joey recognized the Duel Disk thrown at him. It was his. And so was the deck in it, he realised, as he shuffled through the cards. He thought his possessions would be safe in his home but apparently nothing was safe when Tristan Taylor was involved any more. He must've been back to his old stalking games! If he could break into Joey's home and steal his things, who knew what other evils he was capable of?

The blond-haired teen set his Duel Disk in motion. He knew what he had to do. With Kaiba filling up the bulk of his recycle bin, Joey's life was all out of space for dirt bags like Tristan.

"You don't have to do this," Tea whispered into his ear, hugging his arm tightly. Her break-up with Tristan was as ugly as they got. She felt responsible for this whole ordeal eating away at her relationship with Joey. "Just leave us alone, Tristan!"

"If he won't listen to the law, what makes ya think he'll listen to you?" Even as he spoke to his girlfriend, Joey kept his piercing eyes devoted to his nemesis. "There are plenty of witnesses here who heard him say he'd leave us alone if I beat him in a duel. Even the lowest of scum wouldn't go back on a contract bound by a duel. Lemme kick this loser outta our lives for good!"

Tea shook her head at the situation. There was so much wrong with it. How could people take allegiance to a card game over the law? She didn't understand it, but anybody could see by the looks in the two teens' eyes that they did. At this point, she was willing to take anything that promised a future free of Tristan. "Fine. You better take him down, Joey!"

Tristan's lips curled into a half smile.

"Let's duel!" They said in chorus.

ooOOoo

Cerulean eyes danced about the menu's offerings timidly, looking for something they'd only know once they found it. That was the problem with big menus; Serenity never knew what to pick! The original plan was to come down to the café for a simple round or two of cappuccino. Of course, the original plan was always subject to change once new factors came into play, which in this case would be the breakfast meals available. It was breakfast time after all; why not catch breakfast at the café while she was at it?

Decisions, decisions, she was never good with decisions. The struggle to decide on something would've been stressful if it wasn't for the harmonious piano tunes soothing into her from the earphones. She let her eyes fall shut slowly. Almost in a sleepy haze, she ignored everything around her for the moment, allowing the music to fully absorb her.

A presence carefully made its closeness evident to her unseen senses. She smiled a small smile. This must've been the third time the waiter attempted to get an order from her. "I'm sorry, but I'm still not ready for you yet," she informed him with as much kindness her voice could summon.

"Really? I didn't think you were expecting me."

The recognized voice restored her to her surroundings with a startle. Her eyes snapped awake. Almost timidly, they peered above the menu, considering the lean-built figure that hadn't been standing at the other end of the table earlier. Her gaze climbed the casual, navy golf shirt and finally found confirmation in those deep blue eyes of his.

"Kaiba, I didn't realise it was you!" She confessed, tugging the earphones off by the cables. He returned her nervous beam with a knowing smile.

An awkward silence followed. Serenity put down the menu. She was about to start fiddling with the rear strands of her hair when Kaiba spoke.

"So, is it safe for me to take a seat? Or is that canine hiding under this table, just waiting for the chance to pounce on me for being within ten feet of you?"

There was only one person Kaiba would refer to in such a demeaning manner. "Oh, don't be silly. Go ahead!"

The proposal seemed honest enough. He settled in the seat opposite of hers. "You can call me Seto, by the way."

"Right … Seto." He was probably wondering how many times he would have to correct her before she'd finally remember. If he only knew how much pressure there was on the other side that didn't approve of calling him by his first name. The thought brought out a question she'd been meaning to ask him. "So, Seto, why do you think he hates you so much?"

"Heh," he let out a small chuckle. "Isn't it obvious?" Apparently not, according to her blank facial expression. This wasn't the conversation he had in mind when he had joined her. But he couldn't avoid talking about it forever. He rested his forearms over the menu on the table, arching his neck forward to bring his face a little closer to hers. "Your brother's jealous of me, Serenity."

"…Jealous?"

Before either of them could elaborate on that thought, several kids suddenly rushed pass their table. Kaiba and Serenity watched them curiously. They were heading towards the loud cheers that could faintly be heard at their current position. The commotion must've been going on for over five minutes now.

Serenity wondered if one of the mall's shops were having some sort of promotion or something. "What do you think is going on over there?" She asked, turning back to Kaiba. "Maybe there's a celebrity in the building." International superstars could build that sort of reaction too.

"I doubt it," he said confidently. "But if that's true then those kids are running in the wrong direction. We're seated over here."

Perhaps that was the case for him, but Serenity wouldn't think of herself as a celebrity just yet. Until the movie sold itself as a blockbuster hit, she was going to keep her confidence in check. "That reminds me, I'm having a little trouble remembering my lines for tomorrow's scene. Got any tips?"

"Yeah, don't worry about the lines." She looked at him confused. "Trust me. The hardest part of acting is inducing the right emotions, at the right time, in the right way in front of the entire camera crew and making it look as convincing as possible, despite having a flurry of butterflies attacking you in your belly. If the only problem you're having is remembering your lines, you're not so far off."

"…I guess that makes sense." No one had told her her acting was of poor quality so she assumed she wasn't doing absolutely terrible in that department.

"Besides, our director isn't too picky about wording. If it sounds natural and looks real, he'll go with it." He winked at her then smiled.

She could feel a blush coming on and had to take action to redirect his attention to anything else. "Um, I, I wanted to apologize for my brother's behaviour yesterday day on set," she blurted out. "It was totally unprofessional."

Kaiba shook his head as if he had no interest in hearing it. He placed a hand over hers and looked her in the eye. "If you apologized for every time your brother did something senseless you wouldn't have any time to talk about anything else. I can deal with Wheeler."

A larger gang of kids than before raced passed them once again, heading the same way. "I'm gonna get his autograph first!" One kid declared.

"No, I am! I'm his biggest fan!" Another claimed.

"But I watched every duel he had in Duelist Kingom!" The quarrel went on.

"Let's just hurry up! I heard he's losing his duel to Tristan Taylor right now. He needs all our support to help him win!" Their voices finally faded away as the group turned the corner.

"What!?" Serenity pulled her hand from beneath Kaiba's in sheer shock, thinking nothing of his gesture. "Joey's here! And… oh no… Tristan's here too! It can't be."

"Taylor?" The name sounded familiar to him. "Isn't he supposed to be behind bars?"

"Not any more apparently – I'm sorry, Kai-Seto." She rose up from her seat, gathering all her items. "I have to go help my brother out."

"You do?" Kaiba practically jumped from his chair to clutch her by the wrist. Both of them were puzzled with his action. "I mean, of course. Go ahead." He released his hold on her and then sat back down.

Serenity turned around to face him but couldn't find anything to say. She simply turned back and took off in the direction the kids had gone.

** End of Chapter **


	4. Close Call

Author's Note: A big thanks to to all the reviews I've gotten so far! Appreciate them very much. ;) This my first attempt at writing a duel. Hope it wasn't too confusing… (And not too corny XD)

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**Drop The Act**

Fan Fiction by Krafty Quill

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**Chapter 4**

_Close Call…_

"Grrrrrr!"

"Getting angry is not going to help, Joey!" Tea stressed. While his flaring emotions were fair to expect, she feared they would prove to be a major liability to his game. He sat on a rickety 450 Life Points, less than four times his opponent's 2100. At this critical stage of the duel, he needed to remain calm and confident, like he usually did.

The stakes had never been more real, and all the friends that normally contributed to his confidence were absent from the sidelines. That, in addition to the unwanted association with Tristan Taylor, could account for his ruffled mindset throughout the duel.

Tea tried to look into Tristan's eyes. There was nothing but thirst, dark brown thirst. Revenge had utterly consumed him, evicting the compassionate friend that once resided within. Somewhere between the dead, baggy eyes and the sickening grin, an absurd sense of vengeance pleasured him. Tea knew her perception wouldn't change with the sheer result of this duel. He had a lifetime of making up to do before reclaiming his position in her good books.

"…And with that, I end my turn." The words seemed to move in accordance with his placid smirk. "Make your final move, Joey," he ordered. Then he crossed his arms above his chest, a gesture Tea couldn't ever recall him wearing.

"We'll see about dat!" Two fingers over his deck, Joey drew his next card in a dramatic manner. It was the Skull Dice trap card - a great way to reduce the attack and defence points of all monsters on the opponent's side of the field.

Joey sighed. It was another case of good card drawn at the wrong time. He was up against two, four-star monsters and a trap card. The only monster in his hand he could summon directly to the field was Baby Dragon. It was far too weak to do anything on its own. Three of the other four cards in his hand were traps, and the last a level 6 monster that needed a tribute to be summoned. His eyes darted amongst the cards in a troubled fashion.

"Come on, Joey!" His girlfriend cheered him on, having sensed his uncertainty. "You're not considered a world class Duellist for nothing you know!"

_She's right. _But how could he believe in the heart of the cards when Yugi wasn't there to guide him through it?

"Heh, don't tell me you still believe in that nonsense Yugi feeds you." It was as if Tristan could read his mind. They were once close friends so it only made sense that he knew what Joey was thinking. "If that's all you've got, you might as well give up now. I learnt a long while ago that the heart of the cards only work for Yugi. It has something against tall people."

_He's right – but not about the lame short joke._ Whenever Joey tried to tap into the power Yugi professed to be true, it hardly ever came through for him - and of the times it did, Yugi was always close by.

"Don't listen to him!" Tea was afraid he'd start doubting himself. "If you don't believe you can win then you probably won't!" She called out, continuing her cheers of encouragement.

It didn't seem to be working though. Joey was still taking his time making his move. She didn't know how much longer she could go on screaming over the crowd's murmurs to lift his hopes. Her throat was beginning to get dry.

_That's it!_ Her eyes lit up as an idea graced her mind. "Joey… Joey… Joey…" she started slowly. She could only hope that the majority of onlookers were Joey fans. She continued to call his name and the crowd started to catch on, mimicking her chants, one by one, until the deafening cheers were all that could be heard.

For a split second, Tristan had a look of confusion on his face. That was washed away as quickly as it came and replaced with that sinister grin of his. "It doesn't matter what any of you think!" His shout could barely be heard over the uproar however. "You're going down, Joey! In front of all these people! Make your move already!"

The crowd backing him up was exactly what he needed. Joey found his smile again. "I set three cards face down on the field, and put Baby Dragon in defence mode. That ends my turn." The move left Joey with only one card in hand.

"About time," Tristan spat, drawing his card roughly. He chuckled at the sight of what he drew. "Say goodbye to all your trap and magic cards! I activate the spell card, Heavy Storm!"

Joey wasn't without a defence to this however. "My trap card, Magic Drain, negates the effect of your spell card unless you can forfeit another spell card from your hand right now."

Tristan had a single card in his hand. The frustration on his face told Joey it wasn't a spell card. "Well then, I active my face down card, Mystic Space Typhoon. It lets me destroy one trap or magic card on the field and I choose that one!" He pointed at the face down card on the right.

The hologram of Joey's Skull Dice trap card shattered before him. He was down to one monster, and one trap on the field. Tristan had two monsters on the field and one card in his hand, which he was about to put in play.

He sacrificed a weaker monster to summon Flame Champion, a level 5 Pyro type with 1900 attack points. The first attack in his battle phase was to rid Joey of his only monster on the field. Giant Rat's 1400 attack points were enough to obliterate Baby Dragon's defence, leaving Joey's life points practically open. His smirk grew bigger.

Assuming the trap card was a bluff, Tristan ordered his Flame Champion to attack Joey's life points directly.

"Aha! Nice try Tristan, but you're forgetting about my face down card!" Joey activated Magic Cylinder! The effect of the card redirected Tristan's 1900 attack to his own life points, which brought it down significantly to a mere 200 LP.

"I… end my turn," Tristan snarled.

Joey knew he was extremely lucky to still be in the duel. If Tristan had chosen to destroy his Magical Cylinder instead, he would've lost for sure. Even with this last-ditch save, the game was still very much in Tristan's hands. He had two strong monsters on the field and Joey had absolutely nothing. With no monsters to sacrifice on the field, the only card in Joey's hand was plain useless. The result of this duel would ultimately come down to this next draw.

A deep breath calmed his nerves a little. As if on cue, the crowd began to cheer for Joey was once again. He turned to Tea and found unwavering faith in her blue eyes. Out of the all chants flooding his ears, hers were the loudest and clearest. She believed in him. He wasn't about to make her a fool by deceiving her trust. He put his fingers upon his deck and prepared to draw when --

"Joey!"

He recognized the voice before his happy brown eyes even found her. "Serenity!"

She fought her way through to the crowd to find a spot closer to her brother. "You can do it, Joey!"

The Duellist nodded. Without any further ado, Joey drew his card.

The audience turned silence, most of them attempting to read the teen's expressionless face. It was hard to tell whether the situation was good or bad for Joey. Tea held her hands together as if in prayer while Serenity put her palms over chest.

Tristan continued to stand his ground, cool as ever. "You're only prolonging the inevitable! Now, make your move already!"

Joey slowly closed his eyes. Then they shot open instantly. Tristan staggered backwards at the intensity, almost as if he expected the burning flames to jump right out of his opponent's eyes.

"As you say!" Joey declared with flare. "I summon Slate Warrior, in attack mode!"

"Wha--?" Tristan's voice was cut off by a gasp. The summoned monster had a murderous 1900 attack points. Only a select few of level 4 monsters had so much power. Where could Joey have picked that card up? Tristan could only ponder helplessly as his opponent's assault crushed Giant Rat's 1400 attack points, inflicting 500 worth of damage to his life points, more than enough to drop them to a big, fat zero.

Knee first, Tristan crashed to the ground. He hung his head, mostly to hide his features. How could he fail Tea … again?

All the holograms on the field disappeared. Ecstatic onlookers took to the stage, cheering loudly for their winner and engaging in otherwise embarrassing dances. Joey received a peck from Tea and huge hug from Serenity. "This calls for a celebration!" He roared.

The crowd couldn't have agreed more. Their voices were on the brink of being lost from all the constant screaming. But none of them could've predicted what happened next. The celebration was shortly lived.

Gasps and screams of horror replaced the expressions of joy. "What's going on?" Fear trembled in Tea's voice. Her eyes shifted about, trying to find the source of the mass hysteria. The crowd of people decreased in size as every one seemed to be running every which way.

"Ahhhh!"

"Serenity!" Joey followed the shrill scream. He found his sister with shaky hands clamped over her lips. "Serenity, what's … wrong." By the time he finished the sentence it wasn't even a question any more.

Staring right between his eyes, from a few feet away, was the barrel of gun. Joey stepped in front of his sister, using his own body as a barricade if need be. His hands raised above his head in submission. "Don't be stupid, Tristan…"

"Stupid! Stupid! Me, stupid!?" One sleeve of his leather jacket swept passed the huge sweat working up on his brow. His grip on the pistol was far from steady but kept to its target nevertheless. This could possibly be the first occasion he'd fire a gun. "Yeah, you're right. I was stupid. Stupid for thinking you were ever my friend!"

A ball of saliva moved down Joey's throat. The erratic tone in the gunman's voice scared him. Sweating and shaking uncontrollably, Tristan appeared to be capable of shooting at any given second. A pair of arms suddenly squeezed around Joey's waist. He could feel Serenity's heartbeat racing against his back. It was his duty as her brother to protect her at all costs. He was ready to give his life if he had to.

"All that time, all that time! You were just pretending to be my friend so you could snatch her away from me when I wasn't looking!" Tristan continued.

"What are you talkin' about, man? She wasn't even with ya when --"

"Just shut up!" He jerked the gun forward in a threatening manner.

"Oh my God, Joey!" Tea came running to her boyfriend's side, despite his demanding her to get as far away as she could. She did for Joey what Joey had done for Serenity, putting herself before the pointing gun. "If you're going to shoot Joey, you'll have to shoot me first!" She stretched her arms out.

Tristan's eyes stared in shock at her act. This wasn't the Tea he knew… Joey had done something to her. "You changed her!" He barked. She was supposed to be devoted to him, and only him. But she wasn't. She wasn't Tea. Tea would've been by his side. Not anyone else's. Not Joey's!

"Do it!" Tea taunted him. "Either you do it now or stop wasting all our time!"

"Er…" Joey whispered in Tea's ear. "Aren't you supposed to be getting him **not** to shoot us?"

"Trust me," she whispered back, not taking her eyes off Tristan. "The sooner we call his bluff, the sooner he'll realise this game won't get him anywhere." She looked at the offender deep in his eyes. "DO IT NOW!"

"…Fine!" Tristan cocked his gun. _She's not even **my **Tea any more..._

Joey, Serenity and Tea all face-faulted. As Tristan took aim, Joey pushed Tea out of the way in the last second.

But there was no bang.

A quick chop struck Tristan at the back of his neck unexpectedly. The surprise attack dropped him at once, his pistol clattering against the floor as it stumbled out of sleeping fingers. The trio gasped in chorus.

The dark azure eyes of their saviour considered Joey. "You owe me one, Wheeler." That's all Kaiba said before turning his back towards them. He didn't seem phased at all. To him, the heroic act was nothing more extravagant than swatting an everyday house bug. "I'll see you on set tomorrow." He walked away without another word.

Tea and Serenity were utterly lost for words. Joey looked down at Tristan's unconscious body then back up to Kaiba's disappearing figure. Only one word could summon up what he thought of Kaiba now.

"…bastard."

**End of Chapter**


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